Liked this Malcolm Gladwell talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html
Like the TED talks–there’s some really interesting stuff on there.
Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
Malcolm Gladwell Talk
Friday, August 20th, 2010Google Wave Goodbye
Thursday, August 5th, 2010I’m sorry to see that Goggle has dropped the Wave product. I played around with the application when it was first available. It took some time to understand the idea and the implementation had its flaws. But the idea was really interesting. I was not able to use Wave because for it to be truly useful I needed my network of coworkers to also adopt the technology. They didn’t and hence the product was of no use to me. Maybe Metcalfe’s Law best describes why the project failed. Too bad. I had hoped that Google Wave would succeed.
First Thoughts About the iPad
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010Yesterday I got to play with a coworker’s iPad. Awesome! Apple has once again created a game changer. The realization hit home this morning while I was at the health club working out. I was reading a technical periodical and saw a picture of another, very different, new tablet computer. This is the kind with the keyboard and the screen that flips around and can be in either laptop mode or in tablet mode. When I saw the picture I had an emotional reaction: old, creaky, inefficient, ugly, etc. ”What?!? It has a keyboard? And look at the ugly hinge where the screen flips around!” Up until I played with the iPad, I would have welcomed the chance to play around with (and own) one of those tablet computers. Now, I just don’t care anymore.
The iPad brings an elegance to the field that will set the standard for all other tablets. Just as the iPod was not the first portable MP3 player, the iPad is not first in the field. But it will redefine the field, just as the iPod did.
iPad
Thursday, January 28th, 2010Yesterday Apple announced the iPad. It looks awesome and I’m sure it will be a great device. But I’m disappointed about a couple things. They should have put a camera on the front. They could have made video chat/video conferencing ubiquitous. It seems like a lost opportunity. And as a developer, I’m disappointed that there is no way to do my work on the device. Wouldn’t geeks everywhere have rushed to buy one if they could build iPhone/iPad apps on an iPad?
But I am pleasantly surprised by the price. With a $500 entry point, they are positioned to sell a bunch.
What is a Browser
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009This on the street interviewing done by Google is really interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MwTvtyrUQ
It is not really that surprising that some people don’t know what a browser is. It is surprising how few people interviewed knew. The sample was probably not large enough and diverse enough to be statistically meaningful. But it is interesting anecdotally. And it really confirms what we already suspect–that most people aren’t really interested in how things work as long as they do. Those of us who are interested in how things work gravitate toward technical fields such as software development. We know what a Browser is, not only because we work in the field, but also because we are curious about how things work. And we have a hard time understanding how other people don’t seem to have a drive to figure things out.
Courier Update
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009This morning I saw two more things about Microsoft’s Courier tablet system that is reportedly being developed:
Remains of the Day: Microsoft Courier Tablet in Video Edition
What Microsoft’s Courier Tablet Might Look Like In Real Life
The Tablets are Coming
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009If one is to believe the Tech Media, the Tablets are coming. There seem to be more and more reports and speculation about a new breed of Tablet devices. Here are a few:
CrunchPad Nears Production, Looks Awesome
An Insider On the Apple Tablet
No Apple Tablet Till 2010, Say Sources
Gallery: Tablet Computing From 1888 to 2010
Microsoft “Courier” secret tablet
Google Tablet Leaves Windows Mobile Eating Dust
It is possible that a year from now we’ll have a whole new breed of device and we’ll be able to choose from a variety of vendors: Apple, Microsoft, Google and CrunchPad.
Kindle
Monday, July 13th, 2009Yesterday I had the opportunity to check out a Kindle, Amazon’s electronic book reader. I found it interesting but not compelling.
The device was smaller and lighter than I expected. The screen was very readable in an even light. A strong backlight would cause a glare on the screen, but that isn’t unexpected. My first thought was that I could read a book on the Kindle. But then I started digging a bit and I’m not so sure anymore. The interface was a bit slow and not very intuitive. Within a few minutes I felt comfortable navigating around the operating system, but I’m not sure that I’d like to read a whole book on a small screen.
I don’t think I’d ever shell out any money for a Kindle. Apparently some classic texts are near free. But it didn’t seem that there was much of a discount for books still under copyright. I can’t see paying for a device and then turn around and pay full price for a book to read on that device. The bottom line for me is that no matter how interesting the idea is, I just didn’t see any compelling feature. There was nothing about the Kindle that gave me the “I’ve gotta have one” feeling. But it was interesting enough that I might check it out again sometime.
iTunes University
Friday, June 19th, 2009The iTunes store has a university area, including a bunch of Engineering classes. I’ve been going through the programming for the iPhone class from Stanford University. Very cool idea. I wish I had more time to explore more of these.
Click here to open the Engineering area in the iTunes store.
Tablet PC
Thursday, May 7th, 2009I am writing this blog entry on a tablet PC. When I say writing, I mean that I am actually writing. I am not using a keyboard. I am writing with a stylus on the screen. I have just gotten an HP TouchSmart PC that I am testing out for work. It is a convertible Tablet that can swivel from keyboard mode to tablet mode.
The hand writing recognition is quite usable right out of the box. And I have some pretty sloppy hand writing. But I can type much faster than I can write. So for tasks that do not require a lot of textual input, the tablet mode is great. But for longer typing, I find that I am much more efficient if I switch to keyboard mode. Not only because I can type quickly, but also because the interface in tablet mode is somewhat lacking. (I wrote about half of this in tablet mode before I switched back to keyboard mode.) I find that I need to constantly switch between the writing panel and the onscreen keyboard panel. And those panels are constantly popping up in different places on screen or disappearing entirely. Microsoft has some work to do to make the tablet mode more usable.
What I like most about the Tablet PC is the ability to interact directly with the user interface elements on the screen. I can use the stylus to touch an icon on the screen or to “click” in a check box. It feels much more immediate than using the mouse. And the tract-pad is not great making the stylus that much more attractive.
The device includes a finger print reader. At first I thought it gimmicky. But after using it for a week I am finding it faster than typing my password. And that brings me to the hardware. The device has lots of stuff: Web cam, DVD, ports galore, etc. But the overall design of the device isn’t great. And some of the individual elements feel cheep. Maybe that’s because they are cheap. The device was one of the cheaper tablet PCs on the market and the manufacturer obviously had to save money somewhere.
I’m not sure about the form factor yet. I want to use it some more before I draw any conclusions. Is a device that converts between keyboard mode and tablet mode a good idea? It is a bit heavy for tablet mode and a bit small for a keyboard mode. Likewise the screen is adequate in tablet mode, but this device would be insufficient as a primary work machine. On the whole, I’m pleased with the device and look forward to using it more.